Category — Pediatric Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been safely used to treat a wide variety health problems in babies, toddlers and children for

Child having Acupuncture

thousands of years.   It is a safe, natural and effective treatment that works with the body and has very few adverse effects.  As a pediatric acupuncturist I can assure you acupuncture is completely safe for kids and now there is current research to support this assertion!  The first systematic review study of pediatric acupuncture safety was published in the December 2011 issue of the journal Pediatrics. It confirms that acupuncture is safe for kids when performed by a qualified practitioner.

I believe acupuncture for kids is even safer than the study findings [Read more →]

Having beautiful skin starts from the inside out. Our skin in a reflection of what we eat and drink and also the balance of our hormones. To help grow beautiful skin I recommend the following types of foods and supplements.

Water
It helps to hydrate our skin to keep is smooth and supple. Drink enough water so that your urine is clear.

Foods Rich in Vitamin A [Read more →]

Me & My Son

The subject of skin conditions is one that hits close to home for me. My oldest son, now age 7, started to develop eczema when he was about 3 months old. By 9 months the eczema had spread from the back of his arms to most of his body, except his trunk and scalp. I tried all the conventional medical treatments which included hydrocortisone creams, other prescription eczema creams, baths with a small amount of bleach (can you believe the dermatologist recommended that) and nothing worked. I was reluctant to continue such harsh ineffective treatment, so I took it upon myself to become on expert in Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) Treatments for treating eczema and other skin conditions.

How Can Acupuncture Help Skin Conditions? [Read more →]

Children having Acupuncture

You’ve decided to bring your child in for acupuncture treatment and now you’re wondering what you’re going to tell them about their initial visit.  In order to help explain to your child what is involved with an acupuncture treatment we’ve got a few pointers to help you out.

Be honest with your child about what the visit is for
If your child is old enough to understand what is going on with their body, explain to them why they are coming in for an acupuncture visit.  Let them know you’ll be discussing their problem with the acupuncturist. [Read more →]

New research has just been released which shows that acupuncture can help children who have autism spectrum disorder.  The study found that after 12 weekly treatments of acupuncture the children showed improvement in the following areas:

• social initiation
• receptive language
• motor skills
• attention span
• coordination (including better writing ability)

I’m thrilled to report that ABC news recently aired a feature story on acupuncture for kids.   The story is well balanced and objective.  It depicts the personal stories of several children that have improved their health tremendously with acupuncture.  It highlights that sometimes Western medical treatments alone are not enough to treat common conditions such as asthma, allergies, eczema and more.  Rather, combining both Western and Eastern treatments has the most beneficial outcome.   Click the following Link to watch the News Story on Acupuncture for Kids. [Read more →]

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is paving the way for a new model of pediatric health care by providing Acupuncture to its patients. The program which started January 2009 provides pain management for children ages 13 – 18. The founder of the program, Jeffrey I. Gold, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics, and director of the Pediatric Pain Management Clinic at Childrens Hospital hopes to expand the program later this year to more departments in the hospital.

This is incredibly exciting news and I hope that we see programs like this at Childrens Hospitals throughout the country.

To read the full article, please click the link below:
http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=31909

Many of my adult patients find it shocking that I treat children with acupuncture. They can’t believe that children will let me insert needles in their bodies, let alone enjoy their treatments. I think this view is common because they think I’m treating children the same as adults. Maybe they imagine their 5 year old laying on the table for a half hour with acupuncture needles.  Not on your life!   I  usually spend a half hour with my pediatric patients, but most of that time is spent discussing the problem and offering solutions.  The acupuncture portion of the treatment is painless and lasts between 2 – 10 minutes. [Read more →]

What are your favorite cough remedies?  Especially something that works in the middle of the night?

What a great question since most pediatric cough & cold medicine has been recalled by the FDA for safety reasons.  Honestly, I don’t think the cough and cold medicines work that well (at least in my personal experience.)  Chinese herbs & European biological medicines are safe alternatives that work great.  While Chinese herbal remedies are for very specific types of coughs (wet, dry, barking, etc), there are a few general remedies that work well with just about any child. [Read more →]